We were so lucky to have this year’s AOTA annual conference hosted in Utah! With it normally being held in far off locations like Philadelphia, Boston, or Chicago, when it was held so close to Idaho, it made it so much easier to attend. Several members and executive board members of IOTA made the journey to Salt Lake City. Although it was usually just in passing, it was fun to see so many familiar Idaho faces. On Tuesday, the 17th, and Wednesday, the 18th, IOTA Vice President, Kari Thompson, and I attended the ASAP pre-conference meetings to learn ways to strengthen our association and enhance the member experience. We were thrilled to be nominated for, and ultimately win, the ASAP Membership Growth Award, given to the state with the most growth in the preceding calendar year. Since IOTA grew from 2 members in 2016 to approximately 200 members in 2017, we took home the honor. It was nice to have the hard work of several Idaho OTPs recognized and we hope to only continue the strong growth. On Thursday, the 19th, I was asked to present briefly on the “secret to our success”. In truth, I admitted that there is no secret, but that it boils down to one thing: passion. None of us have any more time to dedicate than anyone else but with a small dose of passion, each of us is able to prioritize our time to dedicate to a profession that does such good for the people we serve.
Thanks,
Mel Henderson, MS, OTR/L, MBA
President – Idaho Occupational Therapy Association